Wednesday, 21 August 2013

iERA chances stance on Quran miracles

iERA sent a small delegation of proselytisers to the world atheist convention in Dublin 2011. During this event claims were made for information in the Quran which pre-dated modern scientific discovery, including mountains stablising the Earth's crust via isostasy and microscopic level knowledge of the embryonic stages of human development.

Since then there has been a change in position. In this article Hamza (chief researcher for iERA) states that he has since changed his position completely and no longer holds this view. The persistent counter arguments from atheists to his claims worked their way into his head until he realised he could finally no longer hold that position, he has changed his mind and now emphatically states there are no scientific miracles in the Quran.

Realising you are wrong is the best way of being right, and it's great to see Hamza has been able to take that step. Unfortunately it seems that Hamza has not yet quite mastered the art of admitting you are wrong without first finding a way to move the goalposts. He suggests a "new approach" which should take the following form

The Qur’ān allows multiple and multi-level meanings.

Our understanding of natural phenomena and science changes and improves with time.

The Qur’ān is not inaccurate or wrong.

In the case of any irreconcilable difference between a Qur’ānic assertion and a scientific one, the following must be done:

Find meanings within the verse to correlate with the scientific conclusion.

If no words can match the scientific conclusion then science is to be improved.

Find a non-scientific meaning. The verse itself may be pertaining to non-physical things, such as the unseen, spiritual or existential realities.

Far from being a new approach this is the same old approach of

Re-interpret the verse so that instead of being "outright wrong" it is instead "not exactly right but not wrong either" and assume we have only just come to understand the verse properly after 1400 years of trying.

If that is not possible then accept that the Quran is outright wrong but only in the eyes of science, then wait until the science changes or you die....whichever comes first.

You are one step closer Hamza, but still a long way to go yet. Don't give up!